Scope Mounting Height?

[WartHog]

Finally getting around to mounting a scope on my new Savage 93R in .17HMR. I guessed & bought High rings and have about 3/8 of an inch between the bottom of the scope and top of barrel - is that ok? A set of Mediums would be .2 inches lower - a Low set would probably be too low at .4 inches lower. Cheek weld seems good to me so should I stick with what I have?

[scotty99]

If the cheek weld works for you, leave it.


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[hermosabeach]

You need at least 1/8” inch between the two for damage prevention.

Ideally you want a natural and comfortable position of your head on the rifle with a good solid cheek rest. Then for the optic to be online with your eye.

Some crap set ups with the scope too tall give you a chin rest, not a cheek rest

If you need to twist your head to find the optic, you will want to change the set up

[Divernhunter]

"You need at least 1/8" between the two for damage prevention" I am not sure what you are talking about. Please explain.
If you mean the gap between the barrel and the objective lens then I call BS. I have a 30-06 with just enough gap to slide a thick business card between barrel and scope that has had thousands of rounds shot and many animals killed. It has been dropped, tossed and all sorts of rough use hunting. The same Leupold scope has been on it since 1970 and using the same load has never needed readjusting. The rifle fits me perfectly and has been great on quick and running shots. It was my go to rifle for many years but is heavier than I like now with my age/disabilities. If I am not doins a lot of walking I still like it. For walking I usually prefer my Tikka t-3 Lites now.
If you are talking about some other 1/8" then you may be correct and I am not calling BS. Accept my apology.

I prefer to mount my scopes as low as possible and to have the best cheek weld as well as have the rifle fit me.
To see if you have the scope/rifle fitting you is a simple test. Have the rifle unloaded. Stand holding rifle with both hands. Close your eyes. Snap the rifle into shooting position. Without moving open your eye(s). If you are not looking thru the scope properly then something is wrong.
If you have to move your head up the scope is too high. This is another reason the 50mm and up scopes are often a poor choice as they make you use too tall of rings.
If you need to move your head forward or backwards then the scope needs adjusted so you do not.
This is one thing I always do when mounting scopes for others. I want it to fit them and not me. Most often if it fits me it will fit them. I also can see if their shooting form is not good or is good this way. Often the are shooting with their head too vertical and lack a good cheek weld.

Back to the OP. You can try what I suggest or since it is a rimfire you can leave it as is. The only trouble with that is it may cause you to get some bad habits which will show up when you shoot a larger rifle.

[michaelthepsycho]

Mounting a scope as low as possible is also BS. It's just aesthetics. There's no objective reason for it. Scope-bore difference can be compensated either by zeroing or memorizing, and cheek weld can be improved with risers. No such thing as one size fits all.

1/8" is because barrel whips like rubber under recoil. You can't see it except with a high-speed camera. Just because yours isn't broke doesn't mean it's not doing it.

Another benefit for a slightly higher mounting distance is for running 20, 30, 40, 60, or adjustable cant rails for ELR.

With all that being said, I also like to mount mine low, so don't mistake me for supporting mounting high; just that people make a big deal out of it.

[Divernhunter]

If it was going to break it would have done so by now. There are many many rounds shot in that rifle since 1970.
I see scopes mounted too high all the time at the range. It puts the shooter into a bad shooting position. That does not help them shoot well.

I do not say you need to have it that close, but it does no harm.......unless you are using a BSA scope but then nothing matters anyway.
That is not the only high powered rifle I have scopes with less than 1/8" space and have never had a problem. I am willing to guess I put shoot rounds per year than most not counting AR's and such but their scope must be higher due to stock design. So the AR is not part of this thread.

Use the test I do for mounting scopes and you will find out if the scope/stock fits you.

[WartHog]

To see if you have the scope/rifle fitting you is a simple test. Have the rifle unloaded. Stand holding rifle with both hands. Close your eyes. Snap the rifle into shooting position. Without moving open your eye(s). If you are not looking thru the scope properly then something is wrong.
If you have to move your head up the scope is too high. This is another reason the 50mm and up scopes are often a poor choice as they make you use too tall of rings.
If you need to move your head forward or backwards then the scope needs adjusted so you do not.
This is one thing I always do when mounting scopes for others. I want it to fit them and not me. Most often if it fits me it will fit them. I also can see if their shooting form is not good or is good this way. Often the are shooting with their head too vertical and lack a good cheek weld.

Back to the OP. You can try what I suggest or since it is a rimfire you can leave it as is. The only trouble with that is it may cause you to get some bad habits which will show up when you shoot a larger rifle.

Thank You - using your described eyes-closed test, the scope is perfectly centered with the proper eye relief every time I shoulder the rifle so I'll just stick with the Rings I have.

[Divernhunter]

That is the best way to test scope placement. Just as long as you are using proper shooting posture.
Sounds like what you have will be just fine for you.
Glad to be able to help you decide.